Opening day in the major leagues is a magical day in the world of baseball. The grass is perfect, the opening day decals painted behind home plate, the broadcast crews are full of fresh voices and they are as excited as they will be until October. Across the league, excitement is at a point that will rarely be reached until playoffs. The exception to that was Tampa, opening day was not close to selling out, and through the first two games of the season they have averaged an attendance of just over twenty-three thousand. The atmosphere was over dead with more people cheering for the visiting Blue Jays than their hometown Rays. They fail to sell tickets and their aging stadium is dull and dingy – with no plan to build a stadium in place the Rays days in Tampa seem numbered.
The number one place for Tampa to relocate to is Montreal, with a hunger to regain a team and a stadium ready it seems like an easy decision. And it should be an easy decision for the league – Montreal has had average crowds of forty-five thousand plus the past three years that the Jays have had exhibition games there. It is no secret that Montreal wants the return of baseball there full time, and right now might just be the best time to make such a move.
The first and biggest reason for why this is such a perfect time for the move is the potential for a rivalry between the two aces. This is of course Marcus Stroman and Chris Archer respectively. The two are not only two of the best up and coming pitchers in the AL east but arguably the entire league. Having two young exciting pitchers that should stay with both clubs for an extended period of time would really kick-start the rivalry that could exist between the two clubs.
Rivalry is the second biggest reason why this would be a great move for the Rays. From the perspective of the Blue Jays, it would give them a true number one rival, as the two teams would battle to be “Canada’s team”. The Blue Jays biggest rivals are the Yankees and Red Sox, but if you were to ask a Yankee fan who their biggest rival was they would say the Red Sox and vice versa. This move would create a clear number one rival for the Jays. From a Tampa perspective their fans don’t really care, as mentioned earlier, they had the rival Blue Jays in town for the home opener but still couldn’t get a hometown crowd as many of the fans were supporting the Visiting Blue Jays. In Montreal they are given a fan base hungry to love and support a team, win or lose. Think Winnipeg Jets from the NHL, that’s the support the Rays would feel if they were to move to Montreal.
The third reason is the stadium, Montreal has an existing stadium that they are very much willing to renovate and upgrade. Meanwhile Tampa has not made plans to build a new stadium and there is no one willing to put forth the money to make it happen. Tropicana field is arguably the worst in baseball, with poor turf and an off white roof that causes many fielders to lose the ball on a routine pop fly. There is even rules around the catwalks that are attached to the roof. Some are ruled ground rule doubles while others are ruled to be home runs. Simply put, it’s a disgrace to still have to call Tropicana field a major league ballpark.
For all of these reasons the Rays should be looking to move, and looking at the timing, Montreal just might be the best option. It makes the Rays organization stronger, the league stronger and also the game of baseball in Canada stronger. Without a doubt – the Rays should go north.
Main Photo:
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 20: Marcus Stroman #54 of the Toronto Blue Jays in action against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on September 20, 2014 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Blue Jays defeated the Yankees 6-3. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
